Pancreatin is a mixture of several digestive enzymes produced by the exocrine cells of the pancreas. It is composed of amylase, lipase and protease. The pancreas gland produces both endocrine secretions that enter the blood stream and exocrine secretions that enter the duodenum. Whereas the endocrine secretions comprise hormones such as insulin and glucagon, the exocrine secretions to a large part are made up of enzymes necessary for digestion of food in the duodenum.
Without these enzymes (normally produced by the human pancreas), a substantial portion of undigested food simply passes through the digestive tract and provides no nutritional benefit. Pancreatin can be manufactured from the pancreas of either a pig or a cow. Porcine pancreatin juice is closest to that of humans, with high proportions of lipase and alpha-amylase in comparison with other mammals. Therefore, porcine pancreatin is made only from the pancreas of pigs, and is used to treat conditions in which pancreatic secretions are deficient, such as surgical pancreatectomy, pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis. Pancreatin has been claimed to help with food allergies, celiac disease, autoimmune disease, cancer and weight loss. Pancreatin is sometimes called “pancreatic acid”, although it is neither a single chemical nor an acid.
Pancreatin enzyme products (PEPs) of porcine or bovine origin have been available in the United States for the treatment of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) since before the enactment of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 (the Act). With the exception of one PEP approved in 1996, PEPs have been marketed without New Drug Applications (NDAs) and were considered as dietary supplements. In recent years, the use of PEPs however was severely restricted in the US and Europe due to being derived from animal product, with a risk of viral transmission and bioactivity poorly characterized and standardized. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considered that an Over The Counter (OTC) monograph would not be sufficient to adequately regulate these drug products and to standardize enzyme bioactivity, safety and effectiveness. The FDA's guidance for the industry requires all pharmaceutical companies marketing pancreatic enzymes for pancreatin deficiency to be approved under New Drug Applications. Since April 2010, PEPs are available by prescription only and only PEPs approved by the FDA remain on the market. Over-the-counter pancreatic enzyme products that are available without a prescription are classified as dietary supplements rather than drugs.
Accordingly, the degradation pathways of pancreatin active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) must be studied. All potential degradation pathways of pancreatin API must be evaluated under various stress conditions.